Defying Nature
by Joy Downer
Summary: Hellhounds: Vicious and malicious creatures with no pity, no mercy, no remorse; No humanity. Bearers of Death. Monsters. It was in their nature to hunt, to kill, to torment. Every demigod knew that. But, what if they were wrong? What if... There was more to hellhounds? The birth of Percy Jackson proved that. His birth defied everything, defied nature itself.
1. Prologue

**Disclaimer: I do not own Percy Jackson**

Long ago, werewolves were created as a result of a curse placed upon Lycaon by Zeus. Zeus had invited Lycaon, the king of Arcadia, to dine with him. Lycaon wanted to know Zeus' real name, so he devised a test. He tried feeding Zeus human flesh, then he hired assassins to attack Zeus while he slept to test the limits of his immortality. Zeus became so enraged that he slew Lycaon's sons with lightning bolts and cursed Lycaon into being the first lycantrophe, which was Greek for Wolf man.

Everyone knows how werewolves came to be.

But.. what about hellhounds? We all know that hellhounds are the children of Nyx and Cerebrus, but what wasn't widely known was that those hellhounds aren't just what they seem. Just like werewolves, they too were shape shifters. The biggest difference was, that you can't just become a hellhound with a bite, you're born one. Not all hellhounds were children of Nyx and Cerebrus, in fact only a select few were, but those select few were revered by the rest. They were stronger, faster, more powerful, more vicious, more hellhound than man. You could recognise them by the colour of their eyes. While most hellhounds have blood-red eyes, they have piercing yellow ones. They were the alphas of the pack. A hellhound's age is tied to it's pack. The stronger the pack, the slower they age.

Werewolves and hellhounds have been at war, ever since their first encounter. Over the years werewolves have multiplied exponentially, whilst the hellhounds grew gradually preferring to stay in the shadows. Both species have agreed on a truce as a result of a common enemy: Demigods. While they do hate each other, they despised demigods even more. Werewolves hate them, because they are half-god; Hellhounds hate them, because they are half human.

Long ago, hellhounds were seen as guardians, only attacking when provoked. In fact, in some myths it was said that hellhounds used to escort women through the night or souls on their way to the afterlife, to protect them from other monsters that might be lurking in the dark. But that all changed, when humanity stopped believing, stopped remembering, stopped trusting. Humans stopped trusting hellhounds -instead believing that they too were like werewolves, vicious monsters with no control over their abilities during the full moon- and started hunting them down. Since then, hellhounds have become the very monsters humans accused them to be and despised humanity with a passion, believing that they were a plague, a pest that you had to kill before it killed you. Never mind the fact that the majority of them were half-human. Because while they did posses a human form, they rarely spent time as one which was why not many knew hellhounds were shapshifters. Any human traits they may have possessed was discarded the day humans declared war on hellhounds. Any hellhound showing even an ounce of humanity was ended, killed in cold blood.

That is... until the birth of Perseus Jackson.

* * *

 **Hey, what's up? My name's Joy, and yes I know I've got another story to finish (for those of you who don't know, it's called Hooked) but this was an idea that I've been toying with in my head for a while, so I** **thought 'Eh, what the hell.' and wrote this little prologue. I'm not sure what's gonna happen here to be honest or even where it's going, but I wanted to write this down before I forgot it. I don't actually know when I'll be continuing it, I'm not even sure any of you will like it. I guess I'll see. Maybe I'll update it after I finish my other story, maybe I'll update it sooner. I guess it depends on how many people would actually want to read this story. That's all for now, really so I guess I'll see you around!**

 **Joy**


	2. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer: I do not own Percy Jackson or the characters**

The air was cold and dry, despite the nearby sea. The dark branches spiked into the sky- no sign of life to be found or heard anywhere. The woods, a usual source of life and noise, was now silent The usual chatter of the animals could not be heard, nor the waves of the sea lapping against the shore. The place was silvered and transformed by the light of the moon, which, at the full, hung like a great luminous pearl on the radiant breast of heaven above the large body of water.

Several miles away, deep in the hearth of the dark woods, the moon did little to help the woman find her way toward the shore. The peace was disrupted by the the growls and howls of wolves as they shattered branches littered on their path, obstacles preventing them from reaching their prey silently. Abandoning stealth, confident that their prey was theirs for the taking, they ran at full speed reveling at the fact that this would be an easy hunt, giving in to their bloodlust caused by the full moon.

Finally, the young woman who had been running non-stop for hours on end finally covered enough distance from the predators, to allow herself a rare moment of rest, the acute pain shooting through her legs reminding her that she was nearing her breaking point. Her eyes stung, a side-effect of the silver dagger in her back, impairing her vision but strengthening her other senses. How desperately she wanted to pull that dagger out, knowing that it was slowly but surely killing her, but she could not. It would give away her position and while she was confident she could take on a pack of werewolves in her state, she knew she couldn't both fight a pack of werewolves and protect the small bundle of joy in her arms. Maybe, had she been at her full strength.

The young woman had landed in a small quaggy clearing, no wider than five or six meters, with in the middle a small pool filled with crystal clear water, shimmering and shifting in the moonlight shining down upon it, almost as if the body of water itself was restless at the events transpiring in front of it.. so close, yet powerless to stop the inevitable.

The woman forced herself to crawl towards the water's edge, her throat burning from thirst as she slowly but surely savored the soothing liquid. Slowly, as she looked over the reflective surface of the water, did the young woman finally found it within herself to examine the damage done to her by her self imposed exile.

Her long silky chestnut hair, that flowed like a waterfall down to the middle of her back, was no longer luscious and beautiful, instead matted with blood, sweat and grime, several twigs and other pieces of the forest stuck in her mane of hair. The young woman examined all of the cuts and bruises that littered her face and arms, worrying at the slower than normal healing her body was undergoing, the dagger slowly but surely robbing her of all of her abilities and once there were none left, her life. She continued to examine her body as she looked at the tattered remains of her clothes, as a result of being hunted down by both man and beast. The one thing that had not been damaged since her self imposed exile, was her most defining feature, her eyes.

Her eyes were blue, but not the ordinary sky blue, or the colour of electricity, or even the little flowers that spring up by the side of a path. Her eyes were blue like the sea, crystal clear blue- shimmering, crashing and churning. Looking into her eyes you could hear the ocean, the waves falling against the shore, see the foam flying into the air. Her eyes were blue like the sky right before the sun disappears- dark rich indigo with specks of wild colours here and there. Her eyes were iridescent and flecked with every shade of blue, and just as the ocean, never deciding on one shade. Unlike most sets of eyes of her kind which burned with a fierce hatred and distrust towards others, hers were filled with compassion and love towards friends and family, showing her kind nature and humanity, rare qualities for her time. But today, her eyes burned with fear and hatred, and most importantly: Determination.

She just had to get him to the shore, and then everything would be fine. Her son would live to see another day, fight another day. She looked down at her chest, where the only living thing that mattered most to her in this cold dark world was resting peacefully. The child had a head full of raven black hair, despite being only four months old. He radiated power and defiance, but that was just a shadow of what he could command if he got to grow older than a few months. It was terrifying to think that this small baby would grow to be so damned powerful.

The woman was brought out of her reverie when she realized that the howls and growls of her pursuers were no longer being carried by the winds, like the whispers of the ghosts of the forest. No, she realized that they were getting louder and louder, her superior senses were slowly disappearing as they sounded only a small distance away from her, meaning the worst possible thing for her and her son..

They were getting closer. A lot closer. And they were becoming faster, stronger, more powerful as a result of the moon. She knew she had to hurry, they were nearing her at a faster pace than she could muster with the energy she had left, the big comfortable distance between them decreasing by the minute, but she was weary and wounded, her healing abilities all but gone now. The dagger, that was causing her worriment, had taken away al of her abilities, now targeting her life. She knew she would not make it in time, not with the pace she was going at in comparison to theirs. The shore was too far away, her pursuers too close, she knew there was only one way to save her son. Grabbing a handful of mud, she spread it on her son, hopefully masking his scent long enough for her to distract her pursuers.

"This is it Perseus, our final goodbye. I want you to know, that I am so proud of you no matter what you do, okay? Mommy has to leave to you for now, but know that I shall always be in you heart. I will always love you, my boy, my baby boy. Please, be safe, stay alive and never forget who you are." With those final words, she hid her son in a small hidden burrow, taking one last tear filled look of her sleeping son, committing that sight to her memory forever, and ran as fast as she still could, leading her pursuers as far away from the burrow, as far away from her son.

* * *

 **There we go, the first official chapter of Defying Nature. I gotta admit, I did not expect so many people to be interested in this story. I was surprised by the amount of people that liked it, so I guess I have to continue it now. Still not sure where I'm going with this, but I do have a sort of general idea, so that's cool. I would appreciate it if you guys had any suggestions, I always love reading that. But** **anyway, what did you guys think of this chapter? Liked it? Loved it? Hated it? Despised it? Though it was 'meh'? Be sure to let me know so that I can both improve my writing skills and your reading experience. You know, win-win for us both, cause this is my first time writing a descriptive chapter so I wanna know what you guys thought of it. I don'T know when I'll be updating this story, but it'll probably be next week around Wednesday-ish. I guess it depends really on how buys I am. I will probably be updating this story only once a week, but I'll try to make the chapters longer to make up for it. I hope that's okay with you guys. Now on to the reviews:**

 **To StyxxsOmega: Thanks for the support dude! And yeah, I will :)**

 **To Artemisisboss: All right, all right... You convinced me: Boom story is now updated. And thank you, I realised that there a lot (and I mean a LOT) of stories about werewolves, but few about hellhounds, so I though, 'eh, what the hell' and well.. The rest is history.**

 **To perseusberserker: Interesting proposition good sir, I guess we'll have to wait and see.. :)**

 **To son of hades1: Thanks! So did I.**

 **To Plymethewill: Well, here ya go, more :) (Plus, that was kinda the point of the prologue, so I'm glad it did its job)**

 **To Death to Barbie 0206: Hey, thank you for all of those exclamation points, I sometimes worry I put too many unnecessary exclamation points whenever I write something. I'm glad I can make you happy with my stories, knowing that makes me happy :) Thanks for the confetti and sparkles, I feel loved :)**

 **To Starbreaker195: To be fair, I didn't think that this was gonna be my forte either.. This story will be completely different from my other story, so I'm not sure how that's gonna go. This one will be a lot more serious and will probably have fight scenes, which worry me cause I have never written a fight scene before. First time for everything I guess XD And, yeah I'll definitely keep that pairing in mind! Thank you for that.**

 **To Guest: Thank you!**

 **To GoldLeak: Boom, done. Updated, you'Re welcome :)**

 **Okay, that's all of 'em so far. It is now really really late so I'm gonna end it here. Have a nice whatever-time-it-is-wherever-you-awesome-people-are and take care! I'll see you either in the next chapter or in my other story if you'll miss me too much XD.**

 **Joy**


	3. Chapter 2

**Disclaimer: I do not own Percy Jackson or the characters, Rick Riordan. Maybe the plot though... Maybe. These days who even knows anymore.**

It was a beautiful day. Serene. Quiet. Peaceful.

Deceptively so.

One would have never known the horrors that took place in this forest. But there were signs if you knew what to look out for. Broken trees. A lock of hair. A torn piece of clothing on a branch. The stampede of prints, both man and beast, littering the ground.

A lone hunter surveyed the area. He gulped when he saw those signs. He should just go home. It was obvious that he shouldn't be here. But something told him not to leave just yet. It made absolutely no sense, but as a hunter he had to trust his instinct. Something important was about to happen. Good or bad, he did not know yet. But he was about to find out.

A lone cry pierced the silence and suddenly the woods was filled with life. It was as if that cry alone, woke up the woods and its residence. The hunter hesitated for a moment, what kind of creature would he find? A demon? A werewolf?

A leukrokottas? They _were_ notorious for imitating voices...

Nothing good, that's for sure. And yet.

He located the source of the cry and was surprised at what he saw. An infant. Covered in mud, hidden in a burrow.

He frowned. How on earth did a human end up in a rabbits' burrow? Why would anyone abandon their child here in the forest?

He could leave him here. There was no way this child was a human. It might bite him in the ass if he took this child in. The village might be in danger if he did. He was already struggling to make ends' meet. He wasn't fit to be a father.

And yet, despite all of those sound and logical reasons, he just could not leave.

Something brought him here for a reason. This child would be important, he could feel it in his gut. Wether that was a good thing or not, was yet to be decided.

Jack shrugged. Who was he to argue with the fates? Besides, he could never live with himself if he let this innocent infant die. As far as he could tell, the child did nothing wrong yet. He deserved the benefit of doubt.

"Shhh, little one." Jack cooed, crouching. "It's okay, now. I don't know how you got here or what brought me to you, but I'll take care of you. I promise."

He looked into the little one's eyes and was surprised. He has never seen anyone with eyes such as his. It was like looking at the ocean, calm and yet somehow at the same time restless. Unpredictable and a total contradiction, just like the child itself.

The child was looking at him with such intelligence and curiosity it made him smile. He didn't know what this child was doing here or what happened to his parents, but this was his son now.

Just thinking about that word brought a smile on his face, and filled a hole in his heart he didn't realize he had.

His son.

-Line Break-

"Perseus!" Jack roared. "Get back here you little scoundrel, you!"

A ten-year old Perseus was seen running away with an armful of cookies, laughing joyously. "Sorry father! I can't hear you over the sound of my dust!"

"Just.. Be back by sundown!" Jack shouted into the forest, shaking his head.

"You okay there Jack?" His neighbor, Gabriel, asked.

Jack sighed, but smiled fondly. "That boy... Gabe I swear, ever since I brought him in I've aged twice as fast! He makes me feel young though, I'll tell you that."

Gabe smiled. "He's a good kid Jack, you should be proud."

"Oh, trust me Gabe I am. He's just so full of life, I cannot imagine a life without him anymore." Jack sighed. "But, I am worried. What if something happened to me? The conflicts in the Balkans seem to be getting worse with each day that passes... what if a war were to erupt? What would happen to him then? He's my son Gabe, my son. He's got nowhere else to go if I were to get drafted or die."

Gabe raised one of his eyebrows. "Well... If you want, you could always name _me_ his godfather. If war were to erupt, I wouldn't be drafted. After all, someone's gotta work the coal mines, else where would the army be?" He said with a wink

Jack looked at him, eyes wide. To be honest he always felt like Gabe didn't like Perseus, it was in the way he looked at him. "You would do that?"

Gabe smiled, showing off his yellow teeth and unusually big canines. "Of course Jack, what are friends for?"

Jack frowned, a feeling of unease washing over him. There was something about Gabe that gave him that feeling of unease. He wasn't sure what it was, most of the time he seemed like a perfectly friendly man, but there were times... Times where he had this predatory look, especially when he looked at Perseus, that made him shudder.

"I don't know Gabe... I'd have to discuss it with Perseus first, but I'll take your offer into serious consideration." Jack told him carefully.

For a second there, he could have sworn he heard Gabe growl, but when he turned around Gabe was smiling, with a friendly demeanor as usual.

"Of course Jack, I get it. He is your son after all." Gabe said with a smile as sweet as honey. "You should discuss it with him as fast as possible though, after all you _never_ know what's going to happen."

Jack smiled back uneasily. "Right, that makes sense... well... I uh, I suppose I should go find Percy then. I'll uh, I'll see you around"

Gabe kept on smiling, a mad twinkle in his eyes. "Ohh count on it, my friend, count on it."

Jack frowned, an uneasy feeling at the pit of his stomach, telling him to grab Percy and _to run,_ fast and far. He shrugged, deciding for once to ignore his instinct to bring a weapon with him, and with it, dooming himself to the fate that awaited him.

-Line Break-

Percy sighed happily, the cookies he had illegally acquired all but gone now.

"This is the life." He commented. True, there were many things about his life that could be better, but...

He had a father that loved him no matter what, and that was enough. As long as he had his family in his corner, he knew he could withstand whatever life would throw at him.

"What to do, what to do." He wondered out loud, wandering around aimlessly.

It was too early to go home. He supposed he could go hunting, the way his father taught him to. Then again, he already did that yesterday...

Up ahead he saw a clearing, that looked suspiciously familiar...

Percy frowned. That's impossible. He's never been in this part of the forest, in fact, his father explicitly forbade him to come here.

He never questioned him, and he definitely didn't mean to come here, but it was like... Something led him here, as crazy as that sounded.

He looked around, it was a small quaggy clearing, no wider than five or six meters, with in the middle a small pool filled with crystal clear water. He didn't know what it was, but this clearing made him feel incredibly uneasy, and inexplicably sad. He looked at his reflection in the water, and for a second, he could've sworn his eyes shined yellow. He blinked a couple of times and shook his head. When he looked again, they were their usual swirling green.

If he closed his eyes and listened carefully, Percy swore he could hear faint growling and the cry of a baby.

Percy opened his eyes again.

Something bad happened here. Not only that, something was watching him. He looked around, but saw nothing. That feeling didn't go away though, if anything it just grew, became more pressing. He shouldn't be here, it wasn't safe. This place... Every single fiber of his being was shouting at him to run.

But he was frozen.

He heard growling.

It was less faint than before. Almost as if...

As if it came from behind him. But there was nothing there.

Something bad was about to happen.

Again.

He didn't know how he knew but..

He could feel it.

He heard his father shouting his name, sounding worried.

His eyes widened. Oh gods, please gods, no.

"Dad!" He shouted back urgently. "I'm over here!"

His dad entered the clearing, looking more worried than he's ever seen him and grabbing Percy by the shoulders, giving him a once over. "Percy! What the hades are you doing here? I explicitly told you not to come here!"

"I... I.. I'm sorry dad! I didn't mean to! I wasn't paying attention and..." Percy stammered out.

"We have to go. Now!" Jack ordered roughly. "It's not safe!"

Percy nodded his head. "Yeah... Okay... Let's-"

And then it happened.

A wolf-like beast jumped from the shadows, growling at them, with hunger and hate in its eyes.

Jack cursed in his head, and put himself between Percy and the werewolf. Of all the times to leave his shotgun at his house...

"Percy." Jack said calmly, making sure to keep eye contact with the werewolf. "When I tell you to, you run."

Percy shook his head. "Dad, no! Please..."

"Percy!" Jack commanded. "Listen to me, I'll be fine. I promise."

"Dad, please!" Percy pleaded, with tears in his eyes. But his father wouldn't look at him, **couldn't** look at him.

"Perseus, I'll meet you back at home, okay? I need you to survive. Promise me you'll survive." Jack said softly. He didn't wait for a reply, he saw the beast getting ready to pounce, and he knew what he had to do. He pushed Percy away from him and tackled the beast mid-pounce. "Run Percy! Whatever you do, don't look back"

So, Percy ran. He ran as fast as he could, begging, pleading, praying his father would somehow be all right. The sounds of his father's screams and the beast's howls getting fainter and fainter the further he ran.

-Line Break-

He reached the village relatively unscathed, and started shouting. "Help! I need help!"

A bunch of villagers surrounded him. Gabe came up to him, and grabbed him by the shoulders. "What's wrong Perseus?"

"My.. My father! He needs help! A beast... It just came.. And now he.." Percy jabbered.

Gabe shushed him. "We can't understand you boy. What. Happened?"

Percy did his best to calm down. Now was not the time to panic, his father needed him. "My dad needs help! A... A wolf-like beast attacked us, by this quaggy clearing and my father he..."

The villagers around him started muttering worriedly. Percy heard the word _werewolf_ being thrown around.

"What are we waiting for? Let's grab our weapons and hunt down that beast!" Gabe shouted, garnering people's support.

-Line Break-

Everything happened so fast, before Percy knew it they were all by the clearing, armed from head to toe.

But it was too late.

It was a beautiful day. Serene. Quiet. Peaceful.

Deceptively so.

* * *

 **Hey, hi, hello, how you all doing? It's been _a while_ since I've written anything for this story, and for that I apologise. I didn't quite know which direction I wanted to go with this, and to be perfectly honest I still don't really know completely, but. I recently got some inspiration, so here you go. I know what some of you are thinking... Joy what on earth are you doing updating this story, when you were supposed to update your other story? I'm getting to it! I'm kind of having writer's block, but I am planning on updating my other story today too, don't worry.**

 **As for the next chapter of this story, I honestly have no idea when it'll come out. I have a couple of ideas for this story, but to pull that off I'm gonna need to do some research which... will take some time. However, I am so excited for this story and its potential, not gonna lie!**

 **Now, on to the reviews:**

 **To Natman717: That's a really good question, I've been wrestling with the different answers to that question actually, and I think I've finally come to a definite answer but... I can't tell you juust yet cause I'm planning on handling that in the story. But, seriously dude, that was a good question.**

 **To StyxxsOmega: I'm doing my best dude, I've been working on this chapter for the past two years. I'm kind of disappointed with how short it is, but I'm hoping that the future chapters'll be A LOT longer.**

 **To TheSilentOne35: Aw, thanks dude! :)**

 **To A Guest: Lol thanks dude, but I assure you, I am most definitely _not_ Rick Riordan's secret sister. Trust me. As for your idea, I love it! But.. I have no idea how to pull that off :( I mean, I have no idea how to write the future in a way that would be compelling enough for you guys because... Well... I have no idea how I'm going to get to that point, if that makes any sense at all to you. But, once again, thanks dude for the compliments :)**

 **To Apollo is boss:** **Oh, for sure she's going to be in this story. It would practically be impossible for her _not_ to be involved, seeing as how you've got werewolves, and such.**

 **To perseusberserker:** **...Heeeey dude... heh, so.. What's up with you? Sorry for making you wait this long, I appreciate you moving me from 'following' to 'favorites' :D Thanks for not killing me yet, I also appreciate that, big time. I promise you though, I'm going to finish this story. I... oh gods I can't believe I'm doing this, but here goes... I swear on the river Styx, I will finish this story. There, no going back now.**

 **To SonOfHades1:** **Ah, thanks dude! I can always count on you :D**

 **To Guest:** **Heh, thanks dude :)**

 **To SpartanWarrior11:** **Will do! I promise! :)**

 **To Cithia:** **Ah, thanks dude! The cookies were absolutely delicious! Here's a couple for you (::) (::) (::) (::) (::)**

 **Welp, that's all of em. A BIG thanks to everyone that not only read, but also reviewed this story. To all the new readers, I hope you enjoyed. I'd really apreciate it if you let me know what you thought about this chapter, or if you have any ideas, I'm all ears! I hope you guys stick around, but I get it if you don't. I won't exactly be updating this in a regular** **pattern... But, I'll do my best.**

 **See ya guys in the next one!**

 **Ciao for now,**

 **Joy**


	4. Chapter 3

**Disclaimer: I do not own Percy Jackson or the characters, Rick Riordan does.**

 **Edit: Sorry, had to fix a couple of mistakes I saw, and add a couple of little things here and there, nothing major I assure you guys.**

"What... What shall we do with the boy?" A villager asked hesitantly. "Jack did not have any other family..."

"Well, _I_ can't take him in! I have enough trouble feeding my family as is." Someone grumbled. "And with the possibility of a war coming up..."

"I can't take him in either!"

"He's obviously bad luck!"

"I told Jack not to take that child in, I told him so! Now look where that got him."

People around him were protesting, whispering, discussing his future, but Percy didn't care.

He couldn't believe it.

He was gone.

His father was _dead_.

He felt numb. He hasn't slept in days, couldn't sleep. Every time he closed his eyes, all he could see was how red the clear pool of water was, the lifeless corpse of his father, his severed head staring back at him... The gruesome scene they were assaulted with when they arrived at the clearing, the sheer savagery of the beast...

It was almost as if the beast had a personal vendetta against Jack.

And it was all **his** fault. Percy knew that.

After all, **he** was the one who walked into that clearing, even though his father _explicitly_ told him not to.

His father was looking for **him**.

It all came down to him.

It was all _**his**_ _fault_.

"Silence!" Gabe shouted. " **I** shall take the boy in. After all, Jack was about to name me Perseus' official godfather."

"But Gabe! The boy is bad luck I tell you, bad luck!" Someone protested.

"We'd be better of just exiling him from the village." Someone else proposed, the crowd murmuring agreements.

"Yes! He's obviously cursed! We should get rid of him before he kills us all!"

'"He'll be our downfall!"

Percy looked down. Of course they'd say that, none of the villagers ever liked him. The only person that ever cared about him was now dead. Maybe they were right. Maybe he would be better of dead.

"Silence!" Gabe yelled, glaring at everyone viciously. "I wish I could say I'm surprised by your reactions, but I'm not. You humans have always been pathetic, turning against a child, right after his father died... Who's the real monster here? I've had enough of this pitiful village, and of all of you vile creatures."

"You can't leave!"

"We need you!"

"Did that guy just call us humans?"

Gabe grabbed Percy by the shoulder and dragged him out of the townhouse. He crouched down and stared into Percy's eyes.

"Perseus, I'm really sorry about what happened to Jack. He was a dear friend of mine, and I wouldn't wish that fate upon my worst enemy. However, I promised your father I'd take care of you. I think it's time you and I start anew, away from these useless villagers. What do you say? Do you trust me?"

Percy felt uneasy.

His gut was telling him to run, and run fast. It always did when he was around Gabe, and his father taught him to _always_ trust his gut.

But... He had nowhere else and no one else to go to and Gabe seemed nice enough, even though he had a foul odor about him and this weird habit of calling people _humans_ , as if he wasn't one. And, he _was_ a friend of his father...

How bad could he really be?

Percy went against every fiber of his being and nodded his head hesitantly. "Okay... I... I trust you."

Gabe smirked smugly, a victorious twinkle in his eyes. "Excellent."

-Line Break-

It's been six years.

Six years, since Percy decided to live with Gabe, and in those six years Percy was able to conclude one thing:

Gabe _**stinks**_.

Both figuratively, and literally.

He stunk to high heaven, and Percy liked to call him Smelly Gabe in his head.

He could never call Gabe that to his face though, because Gabe had a nasty temper on him. He learned that within the _first day_ of living with him. He also learned that it was worse when Gabe drank, much much worse. Gabe was a big fan of... Tough love. Although throughout the years, it seemed like he only focused on the tough, not so much on the love. But, Percy didn't mind. He could handle all of that just fine.

It was the things Gabe says to Percy that got to him. He seemed to have an endless supply of nasty and vicious remarks for Percy.

The worst part of it all?

They were always true.

All of it.

How it was Percy's fault that his dad died.

How Percy wouldn't, _couldn't_ amount to anything.

How no one could ever love him.

How unwanted he was.

How he deserved every bad thing that happened to him.

All of it, true.

Which is why Percy never held it against Gabe when he deprived him of food. He knew how to hunt just fine, even with the limited hunting grounds in London. In fact, he relished the moments he wasn't in that small one-bedroom apartment with Gabe.

He tries to be optimistic, he really does, because he should be grateful, right? Gabe saved him, from a life of wandering the streets, or probably an untimely death. He brought him to the booming metropolis that is London, gave him shelter, and sometimes food. Deep down, very deep down, Gabe must care for him, because otherwise, why would he do all this? What other reason could he possibly have for taking him in?

But Percy hated it. All of it. He hated his life, he hated Gabe and he despised himself. Not a day goes by where he wished that that beast killed him, instead of his father. Or, maybe just killed him too.

Percy was lost in thought, staring at the three lines located on his left forearm. He had no idea why they were there, or where they came from, all he knew was that he woke up with a new one on his birthday every five years.

When he saw the sun come up, he sighed. Another day, and yet another dead end.

He's been hunting that damned werewolf for _six years_ now, gathering information about werewolves wherever he could. From books to newspaper clippings, to rumors and he hasn't found a single trace. Figures. What an expert hunter he was. It didn't help that every time he tried reading something, the words seemed to just swirl around and rearrange themselves.

"I probably shouldn't have trusted those little shits. Damn street urchins." Percy grumbled. "Of course they didn't really see a werewolf in Hyde Park, they were just taking the piss out of the 'yankee'. Doesn't even make sense! I'm not from America! Five pounds, down the drain."

He was on his way home, taking the long way back by Curzon street when he heard it. Growling, in one of the alleys.

Jackpot.

He located the alley where the growling was coming from, when he realized something: The beast wasn't alone.

Percy clenched his jaw. It was fine, he could take on two of those beasts if he wanted to, it's what he's been training for these past six years.

He peaked around the corner, and was confused at what he saw. Yes, there was a werewolf, but it was heavily wounded, and surrounded by three other werewolves. Wait, no, those weren't werewolves. He didn't know _what_ they were, but werewolf definitely wasn't the correct term.

These creatures were smaller than the werewolves, but no less intimidating. They had the blackest fur Percy had ever seen, it was like staring into the abyss, and glowing red eyes that promised death. They were like these... Hounds! Yes! That's it! Percy remembered seeing a passage about them in one of the books he's read. These were hounds of death! Although, he was pretty sure you could only find them in Baskerville, and this was definitely _not_ Baskerville.

Doesn't matter, Percy was going to deal with these hounds later. He'd recognize this particular werewolf anywhere. It had the same ugly shade of brown fur, and a distinct scar across its forehead. **This** was the werewolf that killed his father, and Percy would avenge his him. No matter what it takes.

Steeling himself for the fight of his life, he clutched the silver dagger, aimed carefully and threw. The beast moved, so instead of piercing its heart like he originally planned, the dagger pierced its left shoulder, making it cry out. It was like music to Percy's ears.

His cover was definitely blown now, because suddenly all of the different creatures stared into his direction.

Percy cursed in his head, and grabbed two more silver daggers before coming out of his hiding spot. He glared into the red eyes of the hounds and said "Back off, that mutt is mine."

The hounds started growling even louder, until one of them spoke up in a rough voice.

"Back off filthy human scum."

"This doesn't concern you."

"Leave, before its too late."

Percy clenched his jaw, he didn't know they could talk. However, he stood his ground. The hounds looked ready to pounce, when someone spoke up.

"Stop."

It was a tall man, wearing a black suit, his hair slicked back, with a voice soft as silk. He had glowing yellow eyes, a smirk on his lips, and a superior air about him. He was staring at Percy, like one would at a zoo animal.

"Let the kid handle the mutt."

The hounds stopped growling, instead they turned towards the man. "But Lucius! He's just a filthy human!"

Lucius glared at the hound that spoke up, bared his teeth and held up his hand. Then the weirdest thing happened, his nails started growing into these sharp black claws.

"Are you questioning my authority?" He growled out.

The hound that spoke up started whimpering and held its head down, its tails between its hind legs. "No, of course not my liege!"

Lucius sniffed. "Good. I won't tolerate it. Besides, you should use your noses, that isn't any ordinary human, now is it?" He smirked at Percy when he said that.

The hounds' eyes widened, before bowing their heads.

Percy furrowed his eyebrows. "What? What are you talking about?"

Lucius just kept on smirking, but put his hand back down. "Oh, you'll see. I assure you, this won't be our last encounter." He looked back at the downed werewolf, and then back at Percy.

"As a gesture of good will, I'll let you do whatever you want with that beast. Marcus, Finnian, Balthazar, stand down. Let young.." He stared at Percy, as if he was expecting something.

It took longer than it should've, but Percy realized he was waiting for his name. "Oh, sorry. My name's..." Percy hesitated. He didn't know if he wanted them to know his name. Then again, they practically gave him the werewolf on a silver platter... "Perseus."

Lucius smirked. "A fitting name, if you ask me. Anyhow, let young Perseus here handle this one." He turned towards Percy. "I shall see you around Perseus and I do hope you enjoy yourself. Don't hold back, these beasts deserve no mercy." He spat into the werewolf's direction. "However, if you find yourself tiring, my men would gladly finish the job. All you've got to do, is say the word."

He made this gesture with his hands, and the three hounds disappeared into the shadows. Lucius looked at the werewolf one more time, before winking at Percy and then he was gone, enveloped by the shadows.

Percy furrowed his eyebrows, more confused than ever. Who _were_ they and why was that Lucius guy so nice to him?

He shook his head, there would be time to figure all of that out later, the werewolf was still alive.

It was growling at Percy, clutching the silver dagger. It didn't seem to have the strength to pull it out.

Percy smirked. "Nowhere to go now you mutt." He threw another dagger into the beast's right shoulder.

It howled even louder before it spoke in a voice that was familiar. "You wouldn't dare, boy."

It couldn't be...

Percy narrowed his eyes, clutching the handle of his daggers even harder. "Gabe?"

The werewolf chuckled darkly, turning into its human form. "Surprise."

Percy fell backwards. "What.. But.. Why?!"

Gabe glared at him. "I was ordered to kill you, and anyone that stood in my way."

Percy shook his head. "Who! Who sent you?!"

Gabe just smirked smugly. "I'm taking that with me to my grave."

"I trusted you!" Percy yelled.

"And that was your mistake." Gabe yelled back. " **My** mistake was not killing you the moment I smelt your filthy scent."

Percy scoffed. "You think _I_ stink?"

Gabe growled. "Watch it boy."

Percy glared, and walked up to him. He twisted the silver dagger, making Gabe howl. "No, I don't have to listen to you.. You bastard! You killed my father you fucking asshole."

Gabe smirked and whispered something, coughing up blood.

Percy frowned. "What?"

"He.. He wasn't... your father. But he sure did scream like your bitch of a mom."

Percy clutched his shirt, brought him closer and glared at him. "You're lying."

Gabe chuckled darkly, coughing up even more blood. "I swear... river Styx...not lying."

A thunder clap was heard. Nothing happened to Gabe.

Percy dropped Gabe, who just kept on chuckling and coughing up blood. He clenched his jaw before looking into Gabe's eyes. "You knew my mother? What did you do to her?! Why didn't you kill me that day?"

By this point Gabe was wheezing, and coughing up blood at an alarming rate, but he managed to answer one of Percy's questions. "I... take... time... kill... spirit... then.. body.."

"Sadistic bastard." Percy muttered. Oh, how he wanted to take his time killing Gabe. He wanted to torture him, listen to his screams, revel in in his blood. He was itching to make cuts all over his body, deep enough to be felt, shallow enough to keep him alive.

But, he wouldn't.

It was obvious that those silver daggers were doing just fine, and it would go against everything his father taught him. Percy pulled out the two silver daggers, and wiped them on Gabe's shirt. This bastard didn't deserve daggers as fine as these. Percy worked hard to get these daggers, he'll be damned if _Gabe_ got them in the end. Besides, Percy had something better planned. His father _will_ be avenged all right.

"You're going to die today Gabe. But it won't be by _my_ hands. Ohh, no, I've got something better planned." Percy said smugly. He wondered what word Lucius was talking about. He looked into the shadows, and saw three pairs of red eyes, "Marcus, Finnian, Balthazar, he's all yours."

Gabe's eyes widened in panic and fear. "No! You... no... leave!" The hounds came out of the shadows slowly, relishing Gabe's screams. They sounded better than any symphony ever could in Percy's opinion. "I'll talk! I... tell... who... sent!"

"Too little, too late Gabe." Percy smirked. He let out a little chuckle. "I guess this is goodbye then. Wow, gotta say, I've dreamt of this moment a lot over the years, but this is better than anything I could ever come up with, even in my wildest dreams."

Percy turned his back on Gabe, and walked away. He didn't look back once. Not when Gabe started howling in pain, not when the howling stopped.

He just kept on going.

-Line Break-

"Name?" The government official asked him by the docks.

"Perseus." Percy answered.

The man sighed. "Full name kid."

Percy hesitated. He didn't have a last name, and he definitely wasn't going to use Gabe's last name. Maybe...

"Jack's son?"

"So, Perseus Jackson?" The man asked.

Percy smiled. Perseus Jackson. Yeah, he could live with that. "Yeah, I'm.. Percy Jackson."

"All right Percy Jackson, reason for migrating to the States?"

Percy hesitated again. He very well couldn't tell this guy that he sort of killed is guardian now could he? Besides, he had to get away from the horrors that took place in a particular alleyway, Half Moon Street. Fitting name if you asked him. And, he was kind of running away from that Lucius guy. He seemed to be nothing but trouble.

He heard people behind him mutter impatiently. Percy looked around, grasping at straws, when he remembered what everyone's been talking about lately. What's been in the back of _everyone's_ mind: **War**.

"I would love to join the American Army sir." Percy announced confidently.

The man perked up. "All right kid, you caught my attention." He gave Percy a paper and said "Don't lose it. You're gonna need that if you want to live here. Go down that corridor for your medical check up."

Percy nodded at them man. "Thank you sir."

The man saluted him. "Welcome to America kid."

-Line Break-

"So... you want to join the army?"

Percy nodded his head. "Yes sir."

"You?"

Percy nodded excitedly.

"How old are you?"

Percy smirked. "Old enough sir."

The man looked him up and down, and narrowed his eyes. "Why?"

"Sir?"

"Why do you want to join the army son? There ain't no war going on... Yet. It's only a matter of time now, what with that archduke being assassinated."

Percy shrugged. "The glory of war? Becoming a man? Nothing else to do? Nowhere else to go? Take your pick... sir."

The man stared into Percy's eyes, seeing a kid that's seen too much at his age, before chuckling and shaking his head. "Ohh, I like you kid! You've got spirit. You're gonna need it too. All right, sign here, present your ID, and then we'll see if you're healthy enough to shoot some bad guys, eh?"

Percy smirked, and saluted the man. "Sir, yes sir."

* * *

 **... I don't even know anymore. I _should_ have been working on my story, I'm already late enough as is, but... I don't know, I really got into this story all of a sudden. I just get sudden bursts of inspirations, and scenes I wanna include. It's even made me interested in _history_ , which was a pleasant surprise to say the least. I was able to work out so many details about this story, I've got a timeline and everything. I even figured out the age thing, when it comes to Percy, and I am so stoked for what's coming up, you guys don't even know!**

 **Aagh I'm getting ahead of myself. This chapter didn't turn out as longs I wanted to but.. Yeah. Anyhow, I hope you guys enjoyed the chapter, if you've got any ideas, thoughts or comments, well... You know where to find me ;)**

 **Now on to the reviews:**

 **To SonOfHades1: You know it dude! Besides, I could never forget this story. It was an idea that popped into my head, and it hasn't left since. It's just been on the backburner for the last... Wow 2 years. Time sure does flies, doesn't it?**

 **To StyxxsOmega: Ah thanks dude, I appreciate itA I cannot believe you _actually_ waited two years for this. It just... It blows my mind, every single time I realise how much people actually like my story, enough that they'd be willing to wait for it. Hope you like this one too ;)**

 **To Matt: Yeah, he was! Not the subtlest turn of events, but, then again, subtlety has never been my strong suit :/**

 **Welp that's all of em. Once again, thanks to everyone that read, and a special thanks to everyone that reviewed. You guys are the real MVP's! I hope you're all well, and I look forward to seeing you all, in the next one.**

 **Laters skaters,**

 **Joy**


	5. Chapter 4

**Disclaimer: I do not own Percy Jackson or the characters, Rick Riordan does.**

Lucius tsk'ed when saw Percy's decision. "Useless mutt! He couldn't even break one little pup's spirit. And that damned _**human**_! Poisoning his mind with useless lessons about kindness and humility. Bah." He sighed. "No matter, I will unleash his inner beast, it's his nature, his birthright! Then again..."

He saw Percy walk away smirking viciously, ignoring Gabe's pleas, not looking back once.

Lucius smirked at the lack of mercy, the utter lack of compassion in his eyes. He could practically _feel_ the malevolent thoughts running through the pup's head. He looked like one of **them.** "Oh ho ho, there may be hope for you yet young Perseus."

-Line Break-

 _ **June 28, 1914:**_ Heir to Austrian throne, Archduke Franz Ferdinand, assassinated in Sarajevo.

 _ **July 23, 1914:**_ Austria-Hungary prepares to invade Serbia, sends ultimatum demanding reparations for archduke's assassination.

 _ **July 25, 1914:**_

\- Serbia rejects Serbian ultimatum; diplomatic relations broken.

\- Russia declares it will act to protect Serbian sovereignty.

 _ **July 28, 1914:**_ Austria-Hungary declares war on Serbia.

 _ **July 30, 1914:**_ Russia officially mobilizes 1,200,000 troops.

 _ **August 1, 1914:**_

\- Germany mobilizes and declares war on Russia; first shots fired.

\- France mobilizes its armed forces in support of Russia.

 _ **August 2, 1914:**_ Germany declares war on Belgium, and subsequently invades.

 _ **August 3, 1914:**_

\- Germany declares war on France, invades Russia.

\- Italy declares neutrality.

 _ **August 4, 1914:** _ Britain declares war on Germany.

 _ **August 5, 1914:**_ U.S. declares neutrality, offers mediation in Europe.

 _ **August 6, 1914:**_

\- Austria-Hungary declares war on Russia.

\- Serbia declares war on Germany.

 _ **August 12, 1914:**_ France, Britain declare war on Austria-Hungary.

 _ **Late August, 1914:**_ Battle of Tannenberg.

 _ **September 6-9, 1914:**_ First battle of the Marne.

-Line Break-

"Boy, they sure are going at it over there in Europe, huh?" Charlie commented, setting down the newspaper. They were currently enjoying their breakfast, reveling in the small moment of peace before their day really started.

Charles 'Charlie' Arber was Percy's first friend, well... ever. He had this boyish charm about him, and he was disarmingly handsome. His electric blue eyes filled with mischief and pride, and blonde hair cut into a buzzcut just like everyone else's in the army. He was as American as baseball and apple pie.

Fred snorted. "Does that surprise you though? I mean, who didn't see it coming at this point?"

Frederick 'Fred' Clarke was Charlie's childhood best friend, and Percy's second friend ever. He shared Percy's black hair, but unlike Percy, his eyes were just as black as his hair. He was ruggedly handsome, with sharp features, a stark contrast to Charlie. He was the more pragmatic of the two, but he balanced Charlie out perfectly. Kept his crazy in check, in a way none of the commanding officers could, while Charlie seemed to relax Fred better than any bottle of rum could, and because of that they were practically inseparable.

Percy met the both of them in the bus going to bootcamp, and was pleasantly delighted when they were all assigned to the same infantry regiment, the 106th.

"When do you reckon we'll be joining the fight?" Charlie asked Percy.

Percy shrugged. "I have no idea. Not any time soon, that's for sure. President Wilson seems to be determined to stay neutral."

Fred sniffed. "It won't matter. They reckon this war will be over quickly, by Christmas day they say, and I'm inclined to believe them."

Charlie scoffed. "You kidding me? I can _feel_ it in my gut Fred... this war, it's the war to end all wars! There's _no way_ this'll be over as quickly as everyone seems to be predicting. Especially if president Wilson insists on us staying out of it."

Fred raised one of his eyebrows. "You're doubting his decision?"

Charlie shrugged. "I mean... Look, I love this country and everything it stands for, you guys know that but... If it were up to me, we'd all be in the frontlines, shooting down the bad guys, making a real difference over there, you know. Making this a **real** World War. Hell, if we joined in, this war would be over in a snap." He snapped his fingers to illustrate his point.

Percy grinned. "If the fate of this country was up to you Charlie, we'd all be dead in a snap." He mimicked Charlie's finger-snap.

All three of them laughed at that.

"I'll have to wholeheartedly agree with you there Perce. May god have mercy on our souls if Charlie ever rises through the ranks, all the way up to president." Fred said with a shudder.

Charlie snorted. "As if you'd make a better president _Frederick_."

"Why, I think I would make an excellent president _Charles_."

"Besides," Percy spoke up, doing his best to avoid a pointless argument between the two best friends, "if this war does last longer than we expect, there's no way president Wilson can stay out of it. They are calling this a _World_ War, and last I checked, America was part of the world."

Fred sighed. "Let's keep our fingers crossed that it doesn't get to that point."

Charlie looked at Fred, aghast. "What are you saying Fred? You _want_ us to stay out of it?"

Fred sighed once more. "Look, Charlie, I love our country as much as the next guy, I really do, but... Yeah, I kind of agree with him. This war over in Europe... It resulted from the corrupt nature of European power politics, and I'd rather leave that alone thank you very much. And, the less we have to deal with the British, the better if you ask me."

That started the usual bickering between the two soldiers.

Percy grinned. This was the life. True, the world seemed to be descending into utter chaos, but it could be worse he supposed. He could've stayed in London, all alone or most probably in the trenches.

"As productive as this argument is, and trust me it is, I'll have to leave you boys. I gotta take a leak, and start patrolling with Reynolds." Percy announced. "Don't miss me too much while I'm away."

Fred grinned. "Why would we?"

"Maybe now we'll finally be able to breathe again." Charlie finished, mirroring Fred's grin. This has become their standard way of finishing their conversations, after smelling each others farts for the first time on their first night here and Percy cherished it deeply.

He'd never admit it out loud, but he thought it was disgustingly sweet.

-Line Break-

"Do you hear that?" Reynolds whispered worriedly, holding up his rifle shakily. "I could've sworn I heard growling coming from those shadows over there, by the canteen..."

Percy's eyes widened. It couldn't be...

He cleared his throat. "I don't really hear anything, but uh, I'll go check it out. How about you continue the rest of the patrol without me?"

Reynolds hesitated. It was obvious that he was relieved, but at the same time, he didn't want to leave Percy all alone. "You sure Jackson?"

Percy smiled confidently. "Yeah, I'm sure Reynolds. Will you get out of here already? The faster you do this, the faster we can join the others. You know Sarge won't be giving us extra time to finish this week's drill."

Reynolds chuckled. "Yeah, all right. Don't die on me now, you hear? I don't want to fill out all of that paper work."

Percy rolled his eyes fondly. "Gee, thanks.. I can feel the love."

"Holler if you need me."

"Will do." Percy said with a wink. He kept his eyes on Reynolds while he was slowly nearing the shadows. He looked around, making sure that no one was around before he faced the shadows with a scowl.

"What are you doing here?" Percy asked harshly.

Lucius tsk'ed, walking out of the shadows slowly. "That's no way to greet an old friend, now is it Perseus?"

Percy kept on scowling, and held up his rifle. "I won't ask again."

Lucius smirked and started cleaning out his nails. "Do you really think a simple rifle could hurt me?"

Percy sighed, before lowering the weapon. "What do you want Lucius? I already told you once at the docks, I don't want to join your army. I'm not one of you guys."

Lucius scoffed. "Right, but you have trouble joining the _American_ army."

Percy squirmed. "That's different."

"Is it though? After all, you still have to follow someone else's orders. A _human's_ at that! At least, if you joined **our** army, you wouldn't have to deal with these annoying pests called humans."

Percy scowled. "They're not annoying, and they're not pests. Besides, **I'm** one of them."

Lucius arched his left eyebrow. "Don't be naive Perseus. You aren't one of _them_. And you never will be. You're better than them. You must have noticed that by now. How, even though you're younger than everyone else, you surpass their physical prowess without breaking a sweat. How your sense of smell seems to be better than everyone else's. How your aim is far more superior to their's."

Percy squirmed once more, he wasn't wrong. But if what Lucius suggested is true... "So? It could just be... Genetics?"

Lucius chuckled mirthlessly. "Ohh, you're not wrong. It most definitely _is_ genetics all right. Come on Perseus, you're not dumb. You know what you are, even if you refuse to admit it."

Percy clenched his jaw and looked down. "I.. I just want to be normal!"

Lucius scowled, his eyes glowing yellow. He grabbed Percy by his shirt and pushed him against the wall. "Normal? Normal?! You want to be one of.. _them_? You've got unimaginable power, rivaled by the **gods** themselves hell, _**feared**_ by the gods, and you want to be _normal_? You should be honored! Proud! You don't belong here, with these... These cretins! I can teach you how to control your power Perseus! Not only that, I can teach you how to _wield_ it."

He dropped Percy, and dusted himself off. "You just have to let me."

Percy looked down. "I just... I can't, all right? I can't accept, because, because then I'd have to.. I'd have to leave my friends behind. You said it yourself! If I joined you guys... I wouldn't be allowed to contact any humans ever again!"

Lucius rolled his eyes. "Right, I did say that, and I stand by it! It's the only non-negotiable rule we have Perseus. Everything else can be justified. Only _one_ simple little rule. But think of what you could gain, if you joined our pack. Fame, riches, power, damn near immortality, all in the palm of your hand! You'd be willing to throw all of that away for... what? A couple of friends who'll be dead soon enough?"

Percy glared at him. "Yes."

Lucius glared back, before sighing. "Stubborn little pup, now aren't you? No matter, you **will** join us Perseus, of that I'm certain. It's inevitable. After all, it is your birthright. I suppose I just have to be patient for a little while longer. Very well, if you insist on learning how horrible humanity can be the hard way, I won't stop you. But know this, you can't ignore who you are forever Perseus. Sooner or later the beast inside of you **will** come out, and when it does, I pray you know how to control it by then. You can run, but you can't hide. After all, there's _always_ a shadow."

And with that Lucius vanished once more into the shadows, and Percy was left all alone with his thoughts, a worried frown on his face

-Line Break-

 _ **September 5, 1914:**_ H.M.S. Pathfinder sunk by submarine launched torpedoes sent by German U-boats.

 _ **January, 1915:**_ Battle of Dogger Bank.

 _ **May 7, 1915:**_ German U-20 sub torpedoes Cunard liner Lusitania; 1,198 dead, 124 Americans.

 _ **May 13, 1915:**_ U.S Sec. of State Bryan demands German reparations in Lusitania incident.

 _ **May 29, 1915:**_ Germany replies to U.S. Lusitania note, makes no promise to curb subs.

 _ **May 23, 1915:**_ Italy enters the World War against Austria-Hungary.

 _ **June, 1915-September 15, 1917:**_ Eleven Battles of Isonzo.

 _ **June 6, 1915:**_ Kaiser declares passenger liners safe from sub attacks.

 _ **June 30, 1915:**_ German sinks liner Armenian; 20 Americans lost.

 _ **July 9, 1915:**_ Germany responds to 2nd Lusitania note from U.S.; sub war will continue.

 _ **July 20, 1915:**_ Wilson sends 3rd warning to Germans: attacks on Americans to be viewed as "unfriendly acts".

 _ **July 25, 1915:**_ Two U.S. merchant ships sunk by Germans off Irish coast.

 _ **January 31, 1916:**_ Wilson refuses compromise on Lusitania reparations.

 _ **February, 1916:**_ Battle of Verdun.

 _ **February 6, 1916:**_ Germany admits full liability for Lusitania incident, recognizes U.S. right to claim indemnity.

 _ **February 16, 1916:**_ Germany again orders sinking of armed neutral ships; U.S. angered.

 _ **May, 1916 :**_ Battle of Jutland.

 _ **July 1-November 1, 1916:**_ Battle of the Somme.

 _ **February 24, 1917:**_ Zimmerman telegram made public in U.S., revealing German attempt to bring Mexico into war against U.S.

 _ **March 8-12, 1917:**_ February Revolution in Russia

 _ **April 6, 1917:**_ U.S. congress votes to enter the war.

 _ **November 6-7, 1917:**_ Bolshevik Revolution.

 _ **December, 1917:**_ Russia reaches an armistice with the Central Powers; frees German troops.

-Line Break-

 _June, 1918: Battle of Belleau Wood_

"Yes! It's about time America joins in on the fun." Charlie said happily, giddy as a child on Christmas morning. "Finally, after all these years of training! We get to fight for our country. I told you guys it would be a great idea to transfer over to the Marine Corps if we wanted to see some action, didn't I tell you guys?"

Over the years, Charlie theorized that the marines were most likely to see action in this war quicker than the army, so they transferred. It still baffled Percy that they actually _allowed_ them to transfer. He heard it was almost impossible, and when they originally asked it was rejected. But, then Charlie and Fred told Percy to go outside, and the next day they were cleared for transferring. Just like that. It was weird.

But Percy didn't put too much thought into it. He just wanted to be with his friends, to make sure he could protect them to the best of his ability. So if that meant he had to be part of the 2nd Battalion, 5th Marines, then so be it.

Fred grinned. "Yeah, I've got to admit, I do not regret our decision one bit. Although I was surprised, I know you hate being on water even more than I do."

Charlie grinned. "Nothing's gonna stop me from making a difference Fred! Not the ocean, not the president, nothing! I'm glad to see you finally being on board with this war though."

Fred looked down. "Yeah, well... The moment they sunk the RMS Lusitania, it became personal."

Charlie clapped his back, and looked down too. "I'm real sorry about Mary man, she was the closest thing I had to a mom."

Fred smiled. "Yeah, I know. I also know she liked to think of you as her son as well."

Charlie cleared his throat. "Enough about that though," he held up his hand, "how about we focus on avenging her out there, and teach those German sons of bitches a lesson they'll never forget?"

Fred grabbed Charlie's hand tightly and said, "I'm in. No matter what."

Charlie smirked. "No matter what, pal."

Fred looked over at Percy's direction, who's been uncharacteristically quiet during the whole exchange. "Hey Perce, you okay there buddy?"

Percy looked up from his dinner, for the first time that evening. They had just arrived at the town of Château-Thierry in France, and this was what they must call the calm before the storm. "Uh, yeah I'm all right... Just... Excited I guess."

Truth was, no. He wasn't okay. Not by a long shot. Over the years, Percy's been noticing some... Changes. Changes that worried him deeply. His temper had a shorter fuse than it used to. It's actually become an effort on Percy's part not to go berserk over the littlest things, like when someone accidentally spills his drink. He's had to adopt the habit of meditation in the mornings, but he feared that one day that wouldn't be enough anymore.

Charlie frowned. "You sure there Hellhound?"

Percy groaned. "How many times do I have to tell you guys? Stop calling me that!"

Another cause for Percy's worriment. Everyone has adopted the habit of calling him Hellhound because, and he quotes, 'Percy can fight like a hound straight from hell!'. It made Percy worry deeply, because well.. What if they were right? The nickname just hit way too close to home, especially after his last encounter with Lucius.

Percy was actually glad when president Wilson tried to stay out of this war as much as possible, it meant less chances for him to go berserk on the frontlines in front of everybody. He should've known that their involvement in this war was inevitable really.

But unlike everyone else, Percy wasn't scared about the war itself. Oh no, because if what Lucius has been implying is true... Well, then Percy definitely didn't have anything to fear at all.

That in itself, is what Percy feared.

"What? But, Perce! We're all Devil Dogs, here! Only you can be a Hellhound though. That totally beats Doughboy by a long shot."

Devil Dog was only marginally better, but all around him people claimed that moniker proudly, because of the supposed ferocity in battle.

"C'mon Perce, what's on your mind?" Fred asked.

Percy sighed. He couldn't tell them the truth, but he supposed he could tell them something true enough. "All right... I guess I'm just worried."

Charlie scoffed. "You? Worried? Hell Perce, if anyone's gonna survive this, it's definitely you! You're like a beast! Even though it may seem like you haven't changed one bit over the years."

That was true, and it did cause Percy a feeling of dread. He hasn't grown one bit. He gulped. "No, not that! I guess... I'm worried about what this war'll do to well... Us."

"Us?"

"Yeah, us. What if it changes us? For the worse?"

Fred smiled encouragingly. "Ah, that. Well, it'll be inevitable really, this war has already changed so much, and it will continue to change so much more. But have a little fate in us eh Perce? We'll be fine. Whatever has to happen, will happen. And as long as we're together..."

"We'll be unstoppable." Charlie finished confidently. "So, what do you say Perce, you in this?"

Both men held their hands out, waiting to see his reactions.

Percy smiled, a real one this time and looked up at the two guys that were like brothers to him. "Ah screw it, I'm in too."

And with that he grabbed both their hands and pulled himself up. He should go to sleep, it was gonna be along day tomorrow.

He shared one glance at them and said "Whatever it takes. Let's raise some hell out there."

Charlie grinned. "That's the Devil Dog spirit."

-Line Break-

"Hey fellas, after this is all over, I think we should all go out for a drink, maybe dancing too." Fred uncharacteristically proposed.

They were currently marching towards Belleau Wood. Apparently the German army breached the western front last evening, so they were now within 45 miles of Paris. It was up to the U.S. forces to ensure they didn't get any further.

Charlie snorted. "You? Dance? I love you buddy, but you were born with two left feet. You have got to be the worst dancer in history."

Fred grumbled. "I don't care. I feel like I deserve to dance after surviving a war."

Percy grinned. "Ah, leave him alone Charlie, he just wants an excuse to hold a lady close to him."

Charlie nudged Fred with his elbow. "I see how it is. Sure buddy, after this is all over, we'll go out for a drink and a 'dance'. I suppose it is about time we start finding ladies to settle down with." He winked when he said dance.

Fred blushed, and scowled. "Ah forget it. I'll just go out drinking on my own. I don't need you guys."

Percy and Charlie laughed.

"We're just kidding Fred. Of course we'll go out drinking after this is over." Percy said confidently.

"Your treat." Charlie added.

Fred snorted. "Sure, fine. If we survive this-"

"- **when** , we survive this." Charlie corrected.

"Fine, when we survive this, I'll pay for the drinks."

"Well, you just gave me another reason to survive." Percy said with a grin.

"You all hear that? Fred's paying for drinks when this is all over!" Charlie announced to everyone else, receiving cheers and whoops of the men in return.

Fred paled, the 2nd battalion wasn't the largest by any means, but it sill existed out of 250 men. "Um."

Before he could protest, the captain spoke up. "Will you all shut the hell up? We're almost there."

Captain Lloyd Williams was a good man, a proud man. He wasn't large by any means, but his heart sure was. He cared for his men, every one knew that, even if he had a tendency to be blunt. He was a man's man, with his glorious mustache. He commanded the 2nd battalion 5th marines proudly.

He was also right.

Up ahead, they could hear the sounds of war. Gunshots, shouting, bombs going off.

When they arrived on the scene, it seemed like French troops were retreating from the German army. A French colonel, noticed them and ran towards their direction. He scribbled a note to Captain Lloyd Williams, ordering him, and his troops to retreat.

The Captain looked at the Frenchman coldly, and stated bluntly, "Retreat? Hell, we just got here!"

There was no turning back now.

* * *

 **Well, I did my best to be as historically accurate as possible, but I probably made a mistake somewhere along the way. I was one of those rare kids in high school that _didn't_ like history. I know, shocking, considering I'm writing a story that will heavily rely on it. Life's funny that way I guess. I gotta say though, during all of my research for this chapter, and the upcoming ones, I've come to actually like it a lot more! I wasn't sure wether I should've added all that info about the 1st World War, but I wasn't willing to assume that everyone knew the dates and events that took place during that war. Hell, I didn't know them when I had my history exam so... I probably forgot a couple of important ones, if so, please do tell me!**

 **I'm already gonna say this right here right now, it'll be a couple of chapters (like 5? 6?) till we reach the 'future' with camp Half Blood, and the whole 2nd Titan War. And those won't be short chapters either, because I've got a lot of time and events I need to cover until then. In fact, the upcoming chapters will be a lot longer than these, so yeah. Just a heads up for anyone that was wondering when we'd see Annabeth, Grover, Luke, and whoever else from the first book.**

 **Anyhow, I hope you all enjoyed the chapter. Sorry about the lack of action, but it took a lot of time to research and write all of this, and I had to set up the groundwork for the upcoming battle. Let me know what you guys thought, or if you have any ideas, I'm always open :)**

 **Now on to the reviews:**

 **To Guest: Thanks dude! I'm working on it :) I'm glad you like the story so far!**

 **To Marcel: ...yeah, yeah, I uh, I realised that waay too late. But, it's fine, I made it work somehow. Maybe it was for the best, I don't know if I could write about the life of a soldier in WWI, if I'm being perfectly honest. Writing about WWI is already way out of my comfort zone as is.**

 **To TheSilentOne35: Ayy, thanks dude! Yeah, this story's been on the back of my mind the last 2 years, but I recently had a stroke of inspiration, and well... Here we are.**

 **To NONAME2002: Ha, yeah, I know. This story is wayy out of my comfort zone, in terms of writing, but I guess I wanted to know if I _could_ write a story like this. As for the concept, it came to me while reading one of those 'Percy becomes a werewolf fanfic (you know the type)' and it made me wonder: What if hellhounds were shape shifters too? And I just _had_ to put that idea on paper, becuase I just couldn't get it out of my mind and well.. Here we are. If you like war though, you're probably gonna love this story, because there will be a couple of em. If you see anything incorrect though, let me know ;)**

 **To StyxxsOmega: Aww, thanks dude! :) I'm really glad you enjoy my writing, it brings joy to my heart.**

 **To SonOfHades1: I've... dabbled with the idea of making ol'Percy boy half hellhound, half werewolf, but the logistics of it was a nightmare. I have decided what uh, what Percy is and it isn't subtlest of choices, but it isn't half hellhound, half werewolf ;)**

 **Okay, that's all of em for today. I honestly have no idea when the next chapter will be done, I'm just putting that out there. I'm hoping to have one out this week, but it could be next week. It'll depend on how busy I am, and wether or not I'll have enough time to do both the research for, and the writing, of the next chapter. A big thanks to everyone that not only read, but also reviewed this story. Seriously, thanks doe that, it gives me the motivation to go on.**

 **I hope you guys stick around, and I look forward to see you all in the next one.**

 **Don't miss me too much while I'm away,**

 **Joy**


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